After spending roughly half a month in the void of teleportation, Xu Zimo and Jiu You finally felt the spatial fluctuations around them begin to slow down.
Their figures were forcefully pulled out from the outer realm.
Blinding sunlight poured down from above as Xu Zimo squinted and looked around.
They were in another city, bustling and lively, with many others emerging from the teleportation formation just like them.
“God Demon City,” Jiu You said coldly as she looked around.
“Seems like you're pretty familiar with this place,” Xu Zimo said with a smile.
“I came from the God-Demon Battlefield. What do you think?” Jiu You replied.
“Then I guess that’ll save us a lot of trouble,” Xu Zimo smiled.
“Aren’t you curious about my identity?” Jiu You asked, unable to hold it in any longer.
“I won’t ask. If you want to work with me, you’ll need something from me, so you’ll tell me eventually,” Xu Zimo said with a smile, shaking his head.
“Let’s find an inn first. I’ll tell you everything, and we can plan,” Jiu You said, looking at Xu Zimo.
“Fine by me,” Xu Zimo nodded.
God Demon City was far bigger than Xu Zimo had imagined. In terms of sheer scale, it was even more expansive and prosperous than Eternal City.
What stood out was that there were almost no ordinary people or weak cultivators, nearly everyone here was at the Celestial Image Realm or above.
Besides the scattered independent cultivators, disciples of many major sects were everywhere, easily recognizable by the distinct styles of their robes.
Xu Zimo and Jiu You also found a nearby inn and checked in.
...
This was an incomparably dark underground palace.
Sunlight never reached this place. All light was banished, only darkness remained eternal.
Surrounding the palace was a black river, slowly flowing and hovering in midair.
The river was pitch-black, hiding untold sins and darkness within.
It flowed like a living creature, and anything that approached the palace was instantly devoured.
Anything that entered the river would never see daylight again.
Inside the palace, in a grand main hall...
A few ghostly flames burned around the chamber, and an invisible pressure filled the air.
A group of figures in black robes and hats stood on either side of the hall.
At the head of the hall sat another black-robed figure, suspended in midair, with his face hidden from view.
The black-robed figures on either side all had their heads bowed, no one dared to look up.
After a long silence, a black-robed figure slowly walked into the hall.
A low voice broke the suffocating stillness.
“A message from the Cang Clan. Granny Ming is dead. The killer is very powerful.”
“Trash. Has the Cang Clan been in hiding too long? Something happens at their own outpost, and that’s all they report?” a voice echoed throughout the hall.
It was unclear who had spoken, the voice seemed to come from all directions.
“The mortal branch of the Cang Clan also appears to have been wiped out. They’re planning to summon the Azure God,” the black-robed figure below replied.
At that, the hall fell silent for a long time.
Eventually, the voice spoke again.
“Summon the Azure God? So the background is serious. Which sect is he from?”
“According to investigations, it seems to be the Nine Heavens Imperial Sect.”
“A mere imperial sect dares to provoke us?”
After that voice faded, another voice quickly followed in the hall.
“The strongest in an imperial sect is only at the Fusion Heaven Realm. How could someone like that kill Granny Ming? Think it through.”
“This seems to have little to do with the sect. The disciple is... strange. We can’t find much information about him.
The Cang Clan suggests that unless we summon the Underworld Godly Monarch, we shouldn't go there just to die.”
“Summon the ancestor? They must be terrified.”
“Granny Ming was a direct bloodline, after all. I will report this to the ancestor. Let him decide.”
That last voice was quiet, but the hall instantly fell into complete silence.
No one dared to object.
...
Back in God Demon City, Xu Zimo and Jiu You returned to the inn.
Xu Zimo smiled and said, “Now you can tell me.”
“I’m a hunter of the remnants of the God Race,” Jiu You said with a bitter smile. “About a hundred years ago, I accidentally entered a forbidden zone and discovered their secret, so they began hunting me. My family and friends were all executed. I returned to the God-Demon Battlefield for revenge.”
“They? Who are they?” Xu Zimo asked.
“The upper ranks of our remnants,” Jiu You said sarcastically.
“They used our hope of reviving the God Race as a cover to satisfy their own hidden agendas.”
“What do you mean?” Xu Zimo asked.
“You know this: no matter what we do, remnants like us will never be true God Race. We only carry a faint trace of their bloodline,” Jiu You explained. “And those higher-ups use us for endless experiments, trying to one day completely transform into real divine beings. When I accidentally uncovered the truth, they wanted to silence me.”
“A bunch of people who no longer belong in this era, still dreaming of restoring past glory,” Xu Zimo said with a smile. “That’s also why you’re working with me.”
“To unlock the Demon Summoning Bell in your hand, you’ll need their power,” Jiu You said.
“You’re destined to be their enemy, so the enemy of your enemy is a friend.”
“I don’t really care. Anyone who blocks my path dies,” Xu Zimo replied.
“Since you came from the ruins, you should know where their base is.”
“We don’t have a fixed base. We drift around the battlefield,” Jiu You said, shaking her head. “It’s been so long, I’m not confident. But there are a few known gathering spots, I can take you.”
“Then let’s go. I’ve been meaning to see this so-called God-Demon Battlefield myself,” Xu Zimo said with a smile.
...
God Demon City was built in connection with the God-Demon Battlefield, meant to serve as a resting place for those heading into the battlefield.
Broadly speaking, there was no city lord or ruler here.
It was more of a place built collectively by all.
Though there were no rules, anyone who could open a shop here was a powerful figure with great influence.
So no one dared to cause real trouble or fight in the city.
Xu Zimo and Jiu You left the inn and walked straight toward the city gates.
God Demon City was vast, divided into northern and southern regions.
To the north stood a statue of a divine being. To the south, a statue of a demon.
Xu Zimo and Jiu You left through the southern gate. In the plaza of the demon statue, Xu Zimo slowed his steps.
He looked up and saw that the demon statue was incredibly lifelike, its eyes locked directly with his own.